Realm of Chaos, the seminal books from 1988 that brought the Warhammer and Warhammer 40K universes together in a shared demon pantheon and that brand is now back with (what one can think is the first in a series)Wrath and Rapture, a boxed set bringing the forces of Khorne and Slaanesh into conflict. Including some new miniatures, and admittedly some pretty old tired ones, this set sees a new version of Karanak, the Hound of Khorne (right), new plastic Flesh Hounds, the new Infernal Enrapturess and the new Fiends of Slaanesh... plus the tired old minis! The set also comes with two different rules sets - one for 40K and one for Age of $igmar. Interestingly no themed dice this week or a novel tie-in so it seems like this set was really just thrown out there, and if this is the extent of the love Slaanesh fans are going to get from GW, then people will not be happy, especially after the amount all the other Gods have received over the last few years. Want to add to this force? Well mortgage the cat and we have the Realm of Chaos: Wrath, Rapture, Decay and Change Collection which includes Wrath and Rapture plus the Star Collecting Nurgle and a Start Collecting Tzeentch sets.Graham McNeil's The Crimson King is also out in paperback next week, so there's some extra witchy-poo action for you, this time in the Horus Heresy universe.

Imperium Nihilus is here with the first part, Vigilus Defiant delivering a sizeable 200 page campaign book - coming in both Collector's Edition and standardversions. This campaign promises much in terms of the forces involved and hints of key players turning up - heralded by none other than the new Primaris-enabled Marneus Calgar, Ultramarines Chapter Masterwith his bodyguard and Haarken Worldclaimer, Herald of the Apocalypse - supposedly promising the return of the Warmaster himself... but which one? Both miniatures come with a helmeted and bare head, but offer not much poseability. The long-awaited Chapter Approved 2018 is also out next week with the Warlord Editioncoming with extra bits like a roster pad, datacards and Stratagem cards for the Sisters of Battle plus a sheet of tokens. There is also a Standard Editiontoo which still includes the Beta rules for the Sisters of Battle, so keep your hat on. Question is, will anyone actually field them? In terms of other minis next week, the old plastic and resinUltramarines Honour Guardare back in the spotlight, possibly looking a little short next to the new Primaris. TheNecron Cryptekis now available separately too - a very dynamic model for the Necrons and adds punch to that immortal force. There's another carry case heading our way - the Warhammer 40,000 Carry Case will happily hold your Space Marines and what ever other troops you need to transport. The protection provided from this case does look minimal, so be aware!As the Horus Heresy draws to a close the books will be themed around the crusade to Terra and the eventual siege, thus Guy Haley's book Titandeath. This is sure be a hit with the Adeptus Titanicus crowd. The new Audio Drama Hubris of Monarchia is out too - full of Ultramarines goodness. We don't usually do much on Forge World because a) their new pricing structure is a crime, b) their products are lacklustre, c) their service is pretty poor - but beside all that they have some interesting models coming out this week: Blood Bowl Orc Team Booster, the beautifully rendered Denethor and Irolasfrom Middle-Earth and two new weapons sets for Cawdor. In a way it's a bit of a pity they chose to mix the look of Cawdor with the old Ratskinsgang as this cobbled together look doesn't entirely match their old look and makes them seem like hobos with guns!-VIGILUS - THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY?As you would see from the top picture, there is a very cool pin you get for free when you order Vigilus Defiant from the webstore - great idea and it's a really nice design too! But how about, instead of a pin, you got a small sheet of decals? Like the ones that came in the Spear of the Emperor Deluxe novel set. This means that hobbyists can play the game, then add these campaign badges to their best force from the campaign or even theme an army around this part of history! If you had ten for the shin armour, four for the shoulder, maybe some tiny ones for banners, shields or Power Fists and a larger one for a vehicle. That's it. That would all fit on one of the normal sized decal sheets - even an Adeptus Titanicus sized sheet. As a hobbyist I would be more tempted to buy the book, even if that pin is very nice! Just a thought GW!

So you've built your Adeptus Titanicus Warlord and some Reavers and those super cool Warhounds and the tiny little Knights - now what? Well, Games Workshop are proud to present not only two Knight variants, the Cerastus Knights, a mighty new version of the Warlord Titan, this one with Plasma Annihilator and Power Claw but also the most expensive decal sheets known to humanity. Yes friend, you can get the Adeptus Titanicus Legio Mortis and the Legio Gryphonicus Transfer Sheets for $34 AUD each - that's about $7 per square inch! Bargain... Now if you didn't buy the boxed game, then you missed out on the Adeptus Titanicus Accessory Sprue. Fret no more, it is now available separately.How's your paint selection going? Stuck in a box, unloved and lacking sun? Well, no more, friend, for there is now the Citadel Hobby Project Box, the Citadel Paint Box and the Citadel Paint Racksall to keep your paints safe and also versatile enough to also act as paint racks! Joy...Lets be honest, fellow traveller - Space Marines can be a tad boring at times, but Aaron Dembski-Bowden has set about making his own and they star in this glorious Spear of the Emperor (Limited Edition) bundle - and what a bundle it is. This is awesome! Have a look at the extras - everything you would need to add these guys into the Warhammer 40K universe. The normal edition isn't out for another 6 months, but I have to say, even with the price, we are very tempted to get this. Very tempted... Also in books, the paperback version of The Emperor's Gift is out. Grey Knights vs daemons. It's a thing.

Okay, well Games Workshop have united their Hobbit and Lord of the Rings ranges under one banner; Middle-Earth. The new book Armies of The Hobbit allows you to field the forces in battles from the not-as-good-as Lord of the Rings films.To go with this release are two new miniature sets - Gandalf the White and Peregrin Took(both mounted and on foot) and Théoden King of Rohan(also mounted and on foot). These are both beautiful sets with very intricate and finely done miniatures - both also in plastic giving ultimate flexibility to convert! These sets are just brilliant and if there hadn't been an expensive book this week a must-buy! Surely every Middle-Earth hobbyist would want these...There's also some Gandalf the White Dice this week and more miniatures than you could count! The entire Hobbit range has been re-released (mostly as Mail Order Exclusives), so if you are tempted by this range, now is the time to jump on board. Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, the Mahud, Corsairs, the Numenor and characters aplenty!

With the recent Beasts of Chaos releases, GW have delved into the depths of their archives - not deep enough to hit Mordheim unfortunately - to bring us these blasts from the past.Gorthoris a mixed plastic and metal kit, and would make an awesome centrepieces for an army. Speaking of centrepieces, the 'rare' Wargor Standard Bearer is back - still in white metal - and so is Ghorros Warhoof. We don't see Centigorsget much love these days, so this is a nice commander for them. Chaos Devoted armies can add the Khorngor Commandand the Khorngors as well as the Pestigor Commandand Pestigors. Now if you're not a fan of the newer Chaos Warhounds, you can get your hands on the old Chaos Warhounds. Not entirely sure why you'd want these, but more power to you!In books there's Warmaster, which basically looks like all the other Gaunts Ghosts books, except this guy looks more like David Beckham. It's actually not very smart. If I walked into the shop I wouldn't know if I had this book or not. Pick your game up, folks!

The internet is alive with the sound of music - and that music is fanboys in exultation at the site of the new GW boxed game Blackstone Fortress. Building on the seminal Rogue Trader and Explorer Fleets fluff, we have a group of adventurers heading out to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations... oh hold on! It's actually good to see GW haven't forgotten the Rogue Trader - considering the game released just weeks ago and the Mechcanicum Explorator Fleets are pretty much a similar idea, just with more guns! It's actually the foundation of the 40K universe and a somewhat popular RPG universe as well, coincidentally reacquired by GW earlier this year. The range of miniatures in this set is very cool really, we see a Kroot outside the Tau forces (as they regularly are and not dissimilar to the one we did back in 2014), some Imperial Ratlings(maybe this will see an end to this xenophobic absolutist change to the fluff that was made somewhere in the mid-90s that saw the end of Beastmen and Ratlings and others in Imperial service), we see another Navigator and of course the much touted "Iron Man" (which was always an amazing piece of fluff, but this mini isn't really our personal vision of who they were), plus there's the bad guys - amazingly Beastmen return to 40K, new Chaos Marines, the Renegade Guard, tainted Psykers and the Ur-Ghul from the Dark Eldar range turn up too. Really there's a lot in this and the excitement is understandable - maybe it's GW's marketing that just isn't hitting home. Isn't it funny - even after all the work that's going into Warhammer Community, it's the actual community on social media that drum up all the interest and hype.Outside Blackstone, Kill Team continues with more additions to the Commanders range with Crasker Matterzhekfrom the Genestealer Cults and Nemesis 9 Tyrantisfrom the Tyranids. So far all the Xenos names in this range of Kill Team have been on point! Amazing job.In the world of books, there is of course a Blackstone Fortress novel - it comes in Half-The-Price-Of-The-Game Special Edition and Oh-Look-It's-Just-A-Book Everyone Else Edition. Not to be left out the Stormcast get a new novel, Hallowed Knights: Black Pyramid and there's an audio drama, Eight Lamentations: War Claw with some adventurers in some rather unusual outfits - I wonder if this is a look into the future...Now when one becomes a Rogue Trader, the Imperium gives you sanction to do so - because in reality you really are just a pirate with permission to do stuff and bring stuff back, no matter the mess you make. Well, not this honour is upon you, because with every purchase of Blackstone Fortress from the webstore you could be sent your very own Warrant of Trade. Now personally I would have thought a Warrant of Trade would have been dripping in ribbons, honours, a wax seal - but no, it seems you just need a foil sticker. Who knew? Look, this is a cute idea, but really, if Rogue Trader unfurled one of these in front of the leader of some far-flung world, they may as well be wearing an "... and all i got was this t-shirt". This is pretty naff, especially for such an expensive purchase. You can save over $30 online buying this game from somewhere pother than GW and this certificate cost about 10 cents to make. Not an enticement!

Games Workshop have ​put something on pre-order this week, and I'm not too sure they actually know what it is. Let us introduce you to the Citadel Assembly Handle- apparently it's to hold things while you put glue on something else. Personally I use my hands for that, but okay! What this actually is (GW - pay attention) is a copy of something that Gundam builders use - the little arms are actually for holding small pieces so you can paint them. Maybe GW should have asked the 3rd party that made this for them what it actually is! Now, there is finally the Citadel Painting Handle XL and the new tapered Citadel Water Pot- better for no spills! The paint range is also getting some new sets, the Citadel Ultimate Project SetandCitadel Project Paint Set with interlocking inserts, the Citadel Layer Paint Set and theCitadel Base & Shade Paint Set. There's new scenery with the Sector Mechanicus: Derelict Factorum plus some bundles- the bank-breaking Thermic Plasma Nexus Collection, the Sector Mechanicus Munitorum Munitions Hub(check out the bad Photoshop on this one- the work experience kid must have been in this day!), all the pipes with the Thermic Plasma Nexus, and the Sector Imperialis: Imperial Sector bundle. Age of $igmar also get some terrain love with the Desolated Township, Azyrite Townscape(a good price this one in terms of outlay and return) and the Vale of Ghyran. Keep in mind, a bundle doesn't always equal value, so do the maths!With news that the main Horus Heresy novel series is coming to an end, there two novellas forming part of the prequel - and they both sound like they will be fluff-impacting stories... Dreadwing centres around the Dark Angels and how The Lion is such an emo twat that his Legion actually have to work AROUND him to get the job done and Spear of Ultramar centres around the Ultramarines and why they didn't reach Terra in time to play a part in the final battles. In 40K land, Steel Daemon tells the story of a surviving Cadian just making his way in the world - even with that shocking haircut, The Bloodied Rose seems like Sisters of Battle hack and slash, Auric Gods tells the heartwarming story of how the Custodes just want to be loved, the Necromunda story Wanted: Dead and finally Death Knell, the backstory to the upcoming Space Marne Heroes miniature release. Age of $igmar get a look in too, with the Gotrek novella The Bone Desert, the Dark Elf story Heart of Winter, the last stand novella The Red Hours, and the Darkoath-themed Warqueen.Yet another journal makes it's way to us - this time Nagash-themed. The quality of these is generally very nice, but the print job on the cover of this looks pretty ordinary to be honest!There's also a Webstore offer on at the moment that if you buy everything in the webstore, you will receive this Brush Wallet - probably valued at around $15. Seems fair...!

Bit of a small pre-order week today, which could actually be a blessing after the huge Nighthaunt releases for Age of $igmar and Kill Team for 40k - but what would a weekend be without at least something top tempt us. Personally I miss these being first shown in the weekly version of White Dwarf (not that our WD even ever turns up anymore) but the internet is a hungry beast, so here we have it. Next week sees the release of a new twist on an old favourite - it's Speed Freeks! Ork Klans via for supremacy around (you have to admit) a rather small area. These minis are really nice, the bikes not straying too far from art we have seen for decades and the buggies are a big improvement on the old model for sure. Apparently the buggies in this set are exclusive to this set, and with only the boxed set being released this weekend and no individual sets, it may be unlikely we know if they are for a while.By the way, is it just us or does the book's cover art (below) look like Steve Bisley art?-In books next week, the Limited Edition Corax: Lord of Shadowshits the shelves as does the Age of $igmar-themed Sacrosanct & Other Stories plus a timely audio book release, Prophets of Waaagh! with a picture on the cover almost directly copied from a scene out of the newer Mad Max film.In somewhat more exciting news, the Horus Heresy series is coming to an end (as such) with the Siege of Terra finally beginning. Next week sees the beginning of that part of the story arc with The Horus Heresy: Heralds of the Siegea collection of short stories - some in print for the first time and others were originally released as audio dramas.-is it an exciting pre-order week? No - but it's one week closer to the glory of Slaanesh!

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In a time before 40k, there was a band of men and women who took part in gaming without the corporate sensibilities of today. Take a step back with us and also look upon the future through wizened eyes and curious ponderings of The Beardy Hammer!